(Old picture! But it fits the mood, wouldn’t you say?)
If I were more organized this would be a nice list of a post, but I’ll ramble if it’s all the same to you. It’s just that I’ve got all these things I need to tell you about and it just doesn’t seem to be able to fit into anything neat and clean. It is mud season after all. So here we go, with a mix of news and self promotion and invitations and random bits of media.
Ready?
It’s been a good week. We started off with me sitting at my computer at night plodding through bill pay when a twitter notification popped up on my screen to tell me The Homemade Kitchen had been nominated for an IACP award in the “general” category. General! For someone who hangs out on the edges, general felt especially exciting. And there are so many great books on the list! Joey ran around the house for several minutes chanting about how the book gets a gold sticker now, and I swore (happy swears) and hyperventilated for a few minutes before going back to paying the bills. But that was so nice.
It’s been warm here, and we got up to 80 degrees on Wednesday. It feels a little strange and like our whole climate is shifting (2 total inches of snow this winter), but it sure was good to open the windows. And all the fermented things are fermenting faster, so that’s exciting.
I’ve got some events coming up I want to tell you about. The biggest one is a CHEESE CLASS, and we still have spots open. Life has been very busy, and this might be the last class for a while, so if you’ve been thinking about it, sign up! April 2. Ticket links are here.
Also, I’m giving the keynote at Seedy Saturday in Copake, NY on March 19. This is an event I’ve been wanting to attend for years, and now the time has come. I’ll be talking about how to plant with a food plan in mind. There’s a seed workshop in the morning, and a whole marketplace of seeds in the afternoon to help you get started this year. More info and tickets are here.
And while I’m selling things, have you been thinking about taking my Craftsy class? If so, they’re doing a whole big shebang for national craft month, and one exciting part is that some new user who signs up before 3/13 will win the chance to donate 1,000 bucks to a craft charity. This is the one I’d choose, but boy, there’s a lot of great things going on that you could donate to. Here’s that nice 50% off link. Come! We’ll make nutella.
Also, have you tried one of those services where they send you all the ingredients for a meal? I’m pretty fascinated at the whole phenomenon, and I know we’ve had some good conversation in the past over on FB about it. But I’m actually dipping my toe in the water from the recipe end of it, and Chef’d is bringing a few of my recipes to their program. Tastebook has a contest here around it, and the winner scores a pretty great Easter brunch plus my book plus an egg dying kit. Throw your name in the hat here.
I’m writing a new book. I’ve been “writing” it for a while, but now I’m deeper in so you might start to see bit more of it here. But with deep work comes deep procrastination, and Food52’s Piglet has come right on time. It’s been SO good this year. I get to go to the piglet party next week because The Homemade Kitchen was so kindly chosen as a community pick, so Joey and I are venturing into the big city. Keep your eye on Instagram and I’ll try to snap some pictures of the fancy people. In other procrastination news, a friend just dropped off this book with a simple note: Here. I just finished it and it devastated me. So I’ll take a break from those Neapolitan novels for a bit to read something even more depressing. I can’t wait.
This weekend, we’re celebrating one of my favorite horror movies by watching it and then going OUT TO THE MOVIES to watch the new sequel. I have high hopes.
Speaking of horror movies, I’m watching all the politics. I’m having so many feelings and opinions, and I’m becoming that guy at the party. I also got wind of a friend of my sister’s who’s threatening not to vote if the DNC keeps messing with things and the media keeps ignoring Bernie, and I’ve started an ongoing letter in my head about how much this idea of not voting upsets me.
(And to be clear, I’m a Bernie supporter all the way. But there is no excuse for not voting. Not a single one.)
In a month and day, I take Sadie to Italy. Years and years ago we promised the girls that when they each turned 13 they’d get a trip anywhere with me. It was our way of imagining how to honor the whole transition into the teens, which is such a big one. So now I’m a month away from having a teenager, and Sadie has very intelligently chosen Italy, and we’re in Rome for 3 nights, Bologna for 3 nights, and Venice for 1 night. Restaurant recommendations welcome.
I think that’s all the news from me today. Happy weekend! It starts really soon. How are you all faring out there?
Classes and workshops
Occasionally I teach workshops, and I have one coming up this fall. Join me and stellar novelist Courtney Maum for RISK MORE, WRITE BETTER, an empowering weekend in a gorgeous old B&B that will jumpstart that project you've been wanting to work on. Space is limited, so apply here!
My latest book!
Learn more about my latest book, Eating from the Ground Up. It's perfect for all you vegetable lovers out there.
Congratulations on your nomination! And all the other exciting things like piglet, a new book, contributing recipes etc!
I love the idea of the trip you are taking with Sadie. Thinking about that for my kids someday!
Just wondering if those services that send all the food and recipes use local food sources?
It really varies! I think that’s a goal for most of them. But it’s definitely not the most efficient way to get local food 🙂
Stella Anise in Venice is lovely. I know you would enjoy it. The food is delicious, the atmosphere delightful and it’s very reasonably priced. I love Venice. It’s one of the most magical places on earth.
I want to be at your Table, Pantry, Freezer talk! What a lovely way to think about this year’s planting schedule. (same goes for the cheese course… one of these days I’ll be on the same continent at the right time!).
Italy with a new-teenager – what a gorgeous mother-daughter gift. Gelato every day! and tortellini in brodo in Bologna. Enjoy!
What a lovely gift for you and Sadie!
What does Sadie like? Romantic poets? Vintage clothing? Art? My daughter and I were in Rome last July and we lived in Italy when she was just a bit younger than S.
**You must, must visit the Galleria Borghese in Rome. It holds such remarkable art and you can get right up close. They have recently held retrospective fashion exhibits in the space, concurrently with the Borghese collections – very cool! Also, the gardens are lovely and you will feel Roman!
Coffee, even if you don’t like it, get a caffe freddo or affogato: Sant ‘Eustachio Il Caffe. (There are coffee shops on this piazza. Google this bar for its very distinctive color yellow and make a bee line. Only takes cash), very close to S. Luigi de Francesi, so you can swoop in and swoon over the Caravaggios!
For gelato, Il Gelato di San Crispino, via della Panetteria, 42 near the Trevi
For Sicilian gelato, in a brioche bun, Via Cardinale Marmaggi, 2,in Trastevere.
We also fell in love with a tiny cantina in Trastevere, Cantina Ripagrande, just off Piazza S. Francesco a Ripa. The food was delicious, we were the only non-locals, and the staff delightful.
In Venice, GamGam is an AMAZING Kosher restaurant, just inside the Ghetto. They close for Shabat, but are open for lunch & dinner every other day.
Try a cicheti bar (really any bar that offers food) for an evening snack. You order a selection of tapas-like plates from the counter and take your spritz (sparkling wine & bitters) with your plate to your tiny table.
There are a surprising number of working people in Venice and this is a great way to people watch.
Please feel free to email if you want more ideas. I truly loved living there and I miss it every day.
Thank you, Charlotte! This is amazing. I’ll make sure I keep your list close by. And to answer your question, Sadie’s most excited in food, seconded only by sitting and people watching. Seems like good Italy activities, yes?
Those are great Italian activities!
Buon viaggio and have fun!!
Hi! My daughter told me that I’d love your site…and I do!
We have had a couple of weeks of Blue Apron meals in the past. The food arrives REALLY fresh, which is great, and the recipes sometimes use some things that I don’t use regularly, so it gets me out of my ‘same old same old’ mold. But…
I’m a real organic, local foodie. I’m amazed at all the packaging that comes each week and truly wonder how they can pay all the packaging and transportation costs that come with the meals. I also think about how much energy goes into creating the packaging and getting the meals to me. I like the idea, but really wish it was more local. Maybe an idea for a local business? Fortunately I’ve been able to reuse the freezer bags and cartons the things come in but won’t be subscribing on a regular basis because of all the wasted materials.
Welcome! And thanks to your daughter for sending you over 🙂
I’m glad to hear about your experience with Blue Apron. More than anything I’m fascinated by the whole “ship the ingredients and recipe” movement, and getting involved with Chef’d has been a neat way to see it from the business side. But it’s true- the packaging! I was pretty overwhelmed by that when they sent me a sample meal. I’ve reused every package I can, but for someone who tries to avoid kitchen waste, it was a lot. On the flip side, it does help people cook more and learn new skills in the kitchen, so I’m all for that. I know that some more local services are cropping up (a friend of mine is starting one in Denver) and I wonder if folks will find a way to do it in reusable packaging that has to be returned. I imagine that would have it’s challenges as well, but it seems like the only solution!
I think the idea of some of these services that ship you the ingredients and recipes is kind of neat on one hand, because there are so many people these days who have no idea how to even get started cooking, and certainly wouldn’t be brave enough to try anything “weird” if left to there own devices. So if these services can at least get some of those people started, that’s probably a good thing. But I’ve never tried one myself, and probably won’t, largely because of the packaging issue mentioned by another commenter. I can’t even imagine cooking a meal where every single ingredient came not only packaged, but packaged individually for each recipe… Yikes. I find it slightly horrifying to even consider.
Plus, “perfectly portioned ingredients”? I’m quite certain that their idea of a “perfect” portion of, say, garlic, and mine wouldn’t even approach the same universe.
Your trip to Italy sounds amazing, and like a really great bonding, transitioning to teenhood experience. Hope you two have an amazing time.
Yes, that was exactly my experience with the packaging, to be honest! I’m excited to see how these things all develop in the future. I think there should be some innovation to come.